The storm had come upon the isles suddenly, as sometimes happened, but that day Koi had been completely unprepared for it.
The surf had been good and so Koi had taken a risk, as she often did, and cut through the jungle to get to her favorite spot quicker. It was miles from her village but she could travel swiftly; she knew this route like the back of her hand. It was even quicker since she didn't have to worry about dragging a board along, for she kept one hidden in a small cave at that location for just that reason. Once there, the day passed quickly--and Koi was too distracted, and having too much fun, to pay much attention to the warning signs.
Sure, she'd seen the clouds on the horizon, dark puffy ones, but they'd been too far away to worry about. And with the waves crashing around her and her ears full of water, she hadn't heard the rumble of thunder.
She started to worry when the sky went dark and opened around her, spilling a torrent of rain upon her, and when lightning arced across the sky, she knew she was in trouble. The wind picked up and the waves became larger, choppier, and white water crashed over her head and knocked her off her board as she paddled back to shore. It rolled her and all she could do was hold her breath and go with it instead of panicking and fighting the pull.
Gasping and spitting out salt water, Koi surfaced and grabbed for her board--and grasped at open water. She tried to look for it, but another wave crashed over her head and sent her spinning. When she surfaced again, disoriented, she spotted her board bobbing yards away from her--and, in the distance, sighted the shore.
She was farther out than she thought, and the sea was pulling her further still.
Koi was a strong swimmer, but she was no match for the sea in all its anger. Trying not to panic, she swam sideways against the tide's tug and made for shore, but it seemed like the more she swam toward it, the further out she went, and even she only had so much energy. As it was, it was a struggle to keep her head above water, which kept rolling over her and going up her nose and mouth, and between choking fits it was hard to get enough air.
That was when it hit her that she very well might die out there.